MUSIC OF PAKISTAN Musical Expression
Ghazal
 great Indus civilization flourished which was rich in
art, music, and dance.
 national language is called Urdu and its main
religion is Islam
Periods of Pakistan Music
Prehistoric Music 7000-2500 BC.
 several archeological findings suggest the existence
of music in early Pakistan culture
 melodies and lyrics of the songs are unknown and
still undecipherable
Buddhist Period 275 BC to 600 AD
 the Ghandara art produced several images of
people holding musical instruments
 singing but no actual account of songs were noted
Hindu-Muslim Interaction
 the classical discipline of Pakistan music is a
continuation of Indo- Muslim musical tradition
 Hindus possess a rich tradition of music that began
from the sacred Vedas
Kheyal and Dhurpad (18th century onwards)
 Kheyal style of singing
- which has reigned supreme in the domain of
classical music
- most important form of musical composition
- a muslim innovation which has completely
revolutionized the music of Pakistan
 Dhurpad
- most ancient style of Hindustani classical music
that has survived until today in its original form
- thematic matter ranges from the religious and
spiritual (mostly in praise of Hindu deities) to
royal panegyrics, musicology and romance
Vocal Music
 Some of the Pakistan chanted genres are not
considered music but merely recitation of poetic
text.
Devotional music
 play an important part in the musical culture of
Pakistan equated with the church music of the
Western tradition
People of Pakistan sing song and dance in
commemoration and worship of saints
poet-saints themselves compose many songs to get
the sympathy of their followers
 traditional expressions of love, separation, and
loneliness
 It tells about both the pain of loss of the lover and
the beauty of love in spite of that pain
 is considered by many to be one of the principal
poetic forms in the Persian civilization
 can be sung by both men and women
Qawwali
 devotional music of the Chishti Order
 musical tradition that stretches back more than 700
years
 originally performed mainly at Sufi shrines
throughout the sub-continent and gained
mainstream popularity
Kafi
 is a term for mystic song, based on regional folk
melodies that revolves around heroes and heroines
 sung in solo and is often accompanied by a table
Instrumental Music
- Punjabi music strengthens the importance of
musical instruments in Pakistan.
- Punjab is a region in South Asia which is divided
into West Punjab, Pakistan and East Punjab,
India.
- Bhangra, one of the most recognized forms of
Punjab, is based on the drum rhythm of dhol.
 each instrument has its own peculiar structure and
tonal characteristics producing unique effects of
pitch, loudness, thickness, and intensity of tone that
differentiates from the rest
Musical Instrument
Percussion instruments
Tabla
 a pair of hand drums used in devotional music
 played using the fingers and the palms to create a
variety of sounds
Dholak
 two-headed drums widely used in qawwali
 played on the lap of the player played with bare
hands
Ghungroo
 set of many small metallic bells strung together and
tied to the feet of the dancers
 produces sound as the feet is moved
Algoza
 is a pair of woodwind instruments adopted by
Punjabi, Sindhi, Kutchi, Rajasthani and Baloch folk
Musicians
 It consists of two joined beak flutes, one for melody,
the second for drone
  quick recapturing of breath on each beat creates a
bouncing, swinging rhythm
Rubab
 a short-necked lute whose body is carved out of a
single piece of wood
 it has a membrane covering the hollow bowl of the
sound chamber
 has three melodic strings that are played with a
bow